iPhone

A recent CTO presentation I attended addressed the changing security landscape we are facing with consumerization - what I deem to be… (choice of our own devices for corporate and personal use from our smartphones to our tablets. This brought up the pros and cons of the various operating systems out there: iOS, Research In Motion, Android and Windows. The graphic associated with the Apple slide was a glass biosphere that was thriving and completely self-contained – the perfectly controlled environment.

This closed environment comes at a price: consumers have little control over their OS and the possibility of customizing to their needs. Requests for changes and customer gripes are eventually addressed. iPhone users now have MMS, multitasking, copy and paste and a full list of other revisions that also make our tablets and media players better. Unfortunately, one issue they haven’t fixed is control over alerts.

Just imagine an area in settings where custom alerts could be set. Different profile modes where the choice of ring, vibrate, volume, and ringtones can be chosen. Apple could take a page out of RIM’s book; BlackBerry cell phones have long had this kind of alert controls. And, there is room for improvement that could include location-based profile alerts (example, goes to silent in movie theatre) and the like. Perhaps hanit could connect in those settings to all devices on the platform including the iPad, iPhone, iPod, etc).

No matter if you’d like your Bluetooth turned off when you walk through the door at night or have different rings and notifications based on who is calling or texting, iOS users should have a bit more flexibility with their high-end devices. Moving to an iPhone from RIM and Android was challenging and this writer is still baffled that the handset is simply either “on” or on “vibrate.”

Research In Motion certainly isn’t competing at the same level as Apple in terms of handsets, accessories and projected sales these days, but this is one area where the Canadian company trumps the iPhone capabilities.

Android. Apple. Apple. Android. The mobile OS brands and their respective handset manufacturers are in the grip of a fierce, cyclical competition to be the best and win global mindshare. Which is why we follow the momentum and progress of their sales and innovation so closely. So how did the vendors stack up against one another? The usual culprits are present: Apple’s iPhone 4S and Samsung’s Galaxy S 2.

OEM Market Share

For the three-month average period ending in December, 234 million Americans age 13 and older used mobile devices. Device manufacturer Samsung ranked as the top OEM with 25.3 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers, followed by LG Mobile with 20 percent share and Motorola with 13.3 percent share. Apple continued to gain ground in the OEM market with 12.4 percent share of total mobile subscribers (up 2.2 percentage points), while RIM rounded out the top five with 6.7 percent share.

Smartphone Platform Market Share

97.9 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones during the three months ending in December, representing 40 percent of all mobile subscribers. Google Android ranked as the top smartphone platform with 47.3 percent market share, up 2.5 percentage points from September. Apple maintained its #2 position, growing 2.2 percentage points to 29.6 percent of the smartphone market. RIM ranked third with 16 percent share, followed by Microsoft (4.7 percent) and Symbian (1.4 percent).

According to the another market research firm, The NPD Group, the top three best-selling smartphones in the United States of last quarter all came from Apple: the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4, and the iPhone 3GS (which consumers can receive at no cost when signing a contract at AT&T). Two of Samsung’s flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S II made the top 5 list as well. The availability of some of these handsets as unlocked devices likely contributed to their success as well.

When diving into the details of this buying behavior, NPD analyst, Ross Rubin, noted that customers are motivated by “a fast processor, improved camera and the Siri speech-driven agent, most iPhone buyers paid a premium for the iPhone 4S, making is the top-selling handset in Q4.” In fact, the latest iPhone 4S outsold its predecessor by a whopping 75% and lapped the iPhone 3GS by a ratio of five to one. Throw in an OS that ties in the number one selling tablets in the world and customer get hooked.

When looking at the mobile OS platform of choice amongst first-time smartphone buyers, Android won out with 57% - Apple only saw 34% of those first time buyers choose their solution.

Much as there are solid tech reasons for Apple’s great performance with the iPhone 4S, NPD’s Rubin also outlines the rationale of Android’s growth and popularity amongst first-time buyers. “Android has been criticized for offering a more complex user experience than its competitors, but the company’s wide carrier support and large app selection is appealing to new smartphone customers,” Rubin noted. “Android’s support of LTE at Verizon has also made it the exclusive choice for customers who want to take advantage of that carrier’s fastest network.”

Taiwan’s top smartphone manufacturer, HTC, cannot seem to catch a break when pitted against Apple’s iPhone 4S. The many patent cases that have flown between the two companies have mainly had judgments in Apple’s favor. Based on recent revenue reports, the trend seems to be continuing.

On Monday, earnings for the fourth quarter of last year were released and projections for the first quarter of this year that fall shy of industry expectations. When following the numbers, HTC has seemingly been stuck in second gear since Apple released the iPhone 4S.

To put it in hard numbers, HTC reported consolidated revenue of NT$101.42 billion (US$3.43 billion) for the fourth quarter of 2011, a drop of 25.33 percent from the previous quarter.
HTC also said its revenue may drop 31 to 36 percent sequentially to between NT$65 billion and NT$70 billion in the first quarter of 2012, as it is still undergoing a product cycle transition.

The news doesn’t look much brighter to kick of 2012. The expectation was that HTC would net $85 billion this quarter. Instead, the money looks closer to $64 billion.

So is the manufacturer going the way of Research In Motion (albeit without the bad-boy executive behavior and panache)? Well, that remains to be seen. New products are bound to be released in 2012 that could turn things around, but what how will those smartphones and tablets compare to the Apple competition. Their availability of 4G LTE and unlocked handset options could boost interest and sales as well.

Ah the Super Bowl – the height of both gridiron and consumerism competition. The game pits the top two football teams in the United States against one another - while advertisers bring out the big guns and vie for the attention of the millions of congregated viewers.

While the New York Giants battled it out with the New England Patriots, Samsung decided to take the offensive against Apple with a string of anti-Apple advertisements. The crowning moments was a 90-second commercial that cost a cool $10 million to snag the airtime. The following video is the Samsung's actual Apple bashing commercial aired during the Super Bowl.

The ad series pitches Samsung as the “cool” alternative to Apple’s iPhone; the Super Bowl commercial promoted their upcoming smartphone launch, the Galaxy Note, which will available at AT&T later this month. This device is also available as an unlocked cell phone, empower consumers with the freedom to choose the right carrier with the right service at the right price.

The premise of the 90 second clip is a scene of the now infamous Apple Store line where customers are waiting to buy the latest Apple device. “I believe in a thing called love” is the soundtrack and the grey scene is brought to life in the form of a block party with Samsung Galaxy Note devices falling from the sky like manna.

As the poster child of Android, Samsung is in a great position to compete with Apple. With its own line of Galaxy tablets, apps, and accessories, the South Korean vendor has converted its fair share of customers. These ads will certainly amp up interest in the upcoming launch which will be augmented with the Mobile World Conference this month where the best in docking stations, speakers, and other peripheral devices including glider gloves will help win over those consumers on the fence.

For those of you loyal readers who have been following and reading my blogs.... you no doubt noticed my propensity to provide you with industry and market statistics and information.

Keeping with this tradition, I came across a study - IT in the Toilet conducted by 11 Mark "View Infographic"... according to this report, we shouldn't be surprised if we hear a toilet flush in the background while on the phone with friends or colleagues; as a whopping 3 out 4 in America use their cell phones while in the bathroom.

Approximately the same number of men and women have used the phone in the bathroom, according to a survey of 1,000 Americans... although men seem more tethered to IT in the toilet: 30 percent of men versus 20 percent of women agreed with the statement, "I don't go to the bathroom without my mobile phone."

Since only 14% of respondents reportedly cleanse their phones after a toilet session... I would highly recommend protecting both their devices and ultimately themselves with iSkin protective accessories' revolutionary Microban technology. Built-in to products during the manufacturing process, Microban antimicrobial product protection inhibits the growth of microbes such as bacteria, mold and mildew that can cause stains , embarrassing odors and deterioration of both cell phones and other mobile devices.

More than half the surveyed users (63 percent) said they have answered a phone call in the bathroom, and almost half (41 percent) reported initiating a phone call. That's not all, however: What goes on behind the walls of the stalls is anything a mobile phone is capable of. Sixty-seven percent said they have read a text, and 39 percent have surfed the Web. Men work more from the bathroom—20 percent said they have participated in work-related calls, versus 13 percent of their female colleagues.

As expected, Gen Y respondents are the pacesetters in the "mobile everywhere" movement, with 91 percent using their phone in the bathroom. Still, older generations are not far behind. Eighty percent of Gen X reported using the phone in the bathroom, as did 65 percent of Baby Boomers and 47 percent of the Silent Generation.

While online, they are doing more than just surfing; 16 percent of Gen Y report they have made an online purchase while in the bathroom. The study indicates that 87% of Droid users (Motorola Droid RAZR, Samsung Galaxy S 2, HTC Amaze, LG Optimus 2X) and 84% of Blackberry users (Bold 9900 Touch, Bold 9790 , Curve 9370) followed by 77% of iPhone users are particularly likely to browse and buy in the bathroom – 22 percent have made a purchase, versus 10 percent of Americans with mobile phones overall.

"The writing is on the stall," said 11mark principal Nicole Burdette. "This study confirms what we all know: that the last private place is no longer private."

Does it come as a surprise to anyone that Absinthe jailbreak for both iPhone 4S and iPad 2 has been installed a million times within three days of it becoming available. The Absinthe jailbreak application for OS X and Windows versions now sit at version 0.2, and are said to both be bug-free

The Absinthe program has been updated to fix some faulty issues incorporated with the original program issue. These issues focused on improperly forcing a reboot on typical iDevice coupled with causing some icons to show up white on the home screen —otherwise it remains unchanged. These tweaks were from the iOS hacking “dream team” of pod2g, MuscleNerd and the whole Dev-Team. The release encompasses iPhone4S: 5.0 (9A334), 5.0.1 (9A405), 5.0.1 (9A406); and iPad2: 5.0.1 (9A405). If you haven’t backed up your SHSH blobs with TinyUmbrella yet, do so right away, as Apple will as a defensive move, more than likely accelerate the release of iOS 5.1 as a result of this jailbreak.

Get the latest in iphone 4S Jailbraking insight from this tutorial Video

Recently, the iPad 2 received and untethered jailbreak with iOS 4.3.3 which alleviated the need for you to be near a computer in the event that your iPhone or iPad required a reboot. Until then, the only iOS 5.0.1 jailbreaks for A5 devices have been tethered, meaning the device would have to be re-broken every time it rebooted.

The following video provides instruction on how to jailbreak your iPad 2

Finally the last video provides direction to create an untethered jailbreak for the 4th-gen iPod touch

If you need more information on jailbreaking... visit the JailbreakMe website where jailbreak apps are set to look as in a typical AppStore… click the “Free” button, then “Install” and 2 minutes later you’re done.

Note: Pure Mobile neither endorses or disapproves of jailbreaking activities... its role is limited to simply being and acting as a provider of technological information. We do however, want to convey to our readers that hacking any format is against the law. In addition, Pure Mobile will not held responsible for any damages incurred to any device when engaging in any jailbreak application(s) that are aforementioned in this blog or downloaded from any other sites.

Get excited iBooks users! The iOS jailbreak known as Corona that was released last month for the iPhone4S and iPad is now updated to support Apple’s e-reader, iBooks. Be sure to get your updates though, as it is the build for version iOS 5.0.1.

But what does this new jailbreak upgrade mean for your Apple experience? While not as gratifying as playing with a new acquisition from the phenomenal family of accessories for each of the tablet, iPod media device and smartphones that will be covered by this new software update, it could address some of the issues occurring during browsing sessions on these same devices.

Because if you have experienced the launcher crashing on occasion, it is this upgrade that will doctor it up. There are some other bugs that will be fixed as well, but the addressed launcher is the biggie (for the really technical of you out there, the build is also included in redsn0w 0.9.10b4). So, with this update you need not fear having to remove your favorite Apple handset or tablet from its cozy protective case to play tech detective.

For those of you who already have jailbroken iPhone4 or iPad devices, Corona can be found and run through the Cydia store. Another option is downloading the updated OS X for Windows version (redsn0w) which will have the same impact.

And if you do not yet possess this untethered jailbreak, you can find more information on compatibility for iPhone 3GS, iPhone4, the first generation iPad, iPod Touch 3G and the iPod Touch 4G. Clearly this development team has been hard at work to bring this jailbreak technology to Apple’s various device offerings of smartphones, tablets and media players. Now, if we can keep that open concept movement to empower customers at other levels of purchasing and freedom of customization, amazing innovation is in the works.

Since the release of the first iPhone in 2007 I have been jail breaking the iphone. I have been caught up in conversation many times about the ability of the iPhone. When I referred to the iPhone it's often hard for me to perceive it without being able to include the many Cydia applications I use with the wonderful IOS operating system.

Many people have often looked at me as if they were very confused, and say. What is jailbreaking? This is the single most question I am asked when discussing the iPhone. I have thought long and hard on the simplest way to explain jailbreaking to a person who does not understand what it is at all about. To this nd, I have crafted the following jailbreaking overview So I have tried to think about this as elementary as possible to facilitate reader understanding.

Jailbreaking allows the iPhone or other idevices such as the iPad and iPod user more freedom. When Apple developed the iPhone in their mega-billion-dollar factories, the developers, at their own discretion determined what we could and could not do with our iphones. That is a decision , I do not agree with that in any terms. Like many people I paid for this product with my personal money and believe that I should be able to decide on changing its appearance or the sounds it makes when it rebooting. Yet in 2008 or 2009 jailbreaking your iPhone was declared illegal.

Jailbreaking allows the user to download third-party applications from a store called Cydia. In this store many developers have been denied the chance to sell their application in the ” Apple store". Many of the applications in the Cydia store are better applications than many I have downloaded from the Apple store. That being said these applications are hosted on repositories which are sources in the Cydia store. These applications have gone through a screening process as the Cydia operators are stand up characters and would not ruin their reputation by enabling applications that are unethical or damaging to your device.

I have often had many people argue that they were afraid to download the applications from Cydia because they weren't signed from Apple. There is a huge open source environment on the web... wherein different developers collaborate together to create new or enhance existing application with more powerful features. As such, just because an application does not originate from Apple it does not mean it hasn't been fully screened or the code has not gone through an extensive testing process to filter or eliminate viruses.

Many of the applications from Cydia are just small tweaks. Such as, being able to swipe the status bar to open what's called SB settings. Inside Sbsettings you can control Bluetooth, reboot, and much more. This is just an example of some of the applications that are available in Cydia. Also in Cydia you can download themes for your idevices. What I mean by theme is you can change the physical appearance of the iPhone. Whether it’s the size of the icons or the color of the status bar and much more. Needless to say, the question, What is Jailbreaking? could revoke a 500 page book. I'm trying to do it in just a few paragraphs. So to putt short and sweet. Jailbreaking allows the user to download third-party applications and themes. This will allow the user to use their phone however they wish. If you want to open the settings menu by swiping the status bar, that can be accomplished. There are many great applications and tweaks inside Cydia. Since this article is about what is jailbreaking? I am going to include a few must have applications from Cydia.

Top Must Have Cydia Applications :

· SBswitcher a tweak for iOS which will basically add a new pane over the multi-tasking pane, which will allow you to bookmark nine of your most-used apps. Now this new pane will allow a very quick access to all your favourite apps. This app also gives you an easy access to a few of your System Settings. Bundled with its core feature, this app is definitely worth $0.99. Props to the developer Tolani. He has added in the release notes that this tweak is not yet available for iPad but should be soon.

· Activator-Free- add gestures to open application.

· Infiniboard-$1.99Vertically scroll the springboard. Addis many applications as you wish to each page. No limits

· Packagebackup-$7.99 Simple way to save your Cydia application in one centralized location. Should you need to do are store simply do so with a couple clicks.

· iFile $4-Great way to SSH into the device without connecting to a computer. Do things such as change icons to much more advance task.

· Springtomize$2.99- This application has over 50 tweaks inside it. You can change the color of status bar, size of icons, change carrier, and more.

· Winterboard- FREE This is how you add themes to the device for changing its physical appearance. You can also add themes to the lock screen, change reboot sounds. This application is free however many of the themes are paid.

Apple’s iPhone and iPad are undoubtedly two of its most iconic products. They were also revolutionary, creating demand for tablets, smartphones and apps that tied into customers’ existing iTunes infrastructure. With these kinds of accolades and cult-like following, there have been twinges of disappointment for Apple’s more recent launches of the iPad2 and iPhone 4S as they were so comparable in “look” and functionality at first glance.

This trend towards subtlety (and maybe towards a safer path in the post-Jobs era?), looks to be continuing with the iPad3. Attendees to the Consumer Electronics Show this past week could have perused the Apple booth and have had the iPad3 right in front of them without recognizing it as a the latest version of the tablet.

Like the iPhone 4S, there are differences, but touting this particular version as the iPad3 instead of the iPad2 or some other such moniker seems a bit overdone. This potential newest tablet addition has a body that is approximately 1mm thicker than its antecedent. For cases and various other accessories this minimal change will allow customers to recycle their previous purchases. The exception is for those protective cases designed to be exactly form fitting.

Another similarity to the iPhones 4S, this latest iPad contender has a noticeably larger rear camera, but does not have the LED flash. These improved features in camera quality and images will win over some customers. But, the front of the device is very much the same as the iPad2.

The iLouge writer who viewed the device at CES did note that the display model appeared to be six months old or so. That particular detail points to the many possible changes that could take place in revamping the iPad3 in the coming months. As we await the actual release of the tablet, current Apple users can continue to indulge their love of accessories without fear of them being obsolete when the new kid in town makes its debut.

When Apple launched the iPhone 4S there were plenty of bystanders that were disappointed that the latest smartphone was not the elusive iPhone 5. The silver lining is that this prolonged release has given plenty of fodder for the tech gossip mill as we all speculate if the next generation iPhone will be drastically different.

Latest reports note that Apple’s upcoming device will be slimmer than the iPhone 4S and iPhone handsets and will also strut some new tech as well. The iPhone 5 may have a quad-mode chipset from Qualcomm that will work on all 4G LTE and 3G networks which has the implication of making this unlocked cell phone device more widely available across mobile carriers.

Giving credence to these details is a BGR exclusive last month that reported Apple’s intention to launch a completely redesigned iPhone in the fall. It will have an aluminum case and a rubber or perhaps plastic bezel that will protect and cover a new wrap-around antenna. Possibly more dependable accounts came from Morgan Stanley’s analyst, Katy Huberty, who noted that Apple sent a communication to clients last Friday. Those statements assured that Apple’s business will continue to grow even with a slowing demand for high-end smartphones. There is no question that the company’s strength is in its iTunes, iCloud and other proprietary technologies that marry customers so closely the OS platform.

Included in Huberty’s comments was the mention of Apple’s next generation tablet, the iPad3 which is slated to launch at some point in the first half of the year. With traditional pricing strategy in play, the iPad2 will be lowered in cost to attract additional customers to the iOS platform and to Apple’s strength in the tablet market.

Surely these new smartphone and tablet devices will come with revamped and original peripheral accessories. Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky! Discover the latest innovative protection solutions... stylish top brand bags, sleeves and casesspecifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes. Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.